Chapter 272
Marvin
Betrayed.
If I had to describe my feelings in one word, that would’ve been it. One day had passed since Elena had bailed on me and left me at the restaurant, and for some strange reason, it had been bothering me.
Today was Tiago’s special day, and we were all gathered at the church to prepare for the wedding ceremony, which was only a few hours away. I tried to be on my best behavior, but I was not really excited for the ceremony, the reception, or the after-party.
All groomsmen were gathered in a room, including Tiago’s geeky friends from his school days. Although I couldn’t stand the sight of them, I had to admit that I envied my little brother for being able to maintain such tight relationships.
I mean, I could barely maintain a relationship with my pen pal. Elena Torres made me out to be a fool, and I had to live with it.
Why would it even bother me?
I was Marvin Romero Castillo, and I could get any woman I want without a single issue. They were all at the bottom of my feet, and I never had to beg for anything, I guess that would be the reason why I was surprisingly shocked by her sudden decision to bail on me.
I didn’t know it was possible to fall for someone in less than a second, but she showed me it was. I felt the need to take care of her from the very moment I laid my eyes on her, and I was ready to treasure her. Many said I wasn’t capable of loving, but I was prepared to open my heart to her, only for her to betray
Elena Torres wasn’t that different from the person I had met in the emails. She was funny, clumsy, innocent and the emojis made so much more sense. I liked her vibe, and I thought we were on the same page about our feelings, so why?
Would she have googled me?
Was she upset because I paid more attention to Panther than her?
Perhaps I was in it too deep, and perhaps Panther and Santiago were right. Maybe she was too young and immature. Who knew? We would never find out.
Whatever the reason for her sudden exit, I had decided to let it rest. I was a respectful man who carried a lot of honor and pride, so with that being said-if she didn’t want to get involved with me, I would not force her. It was as simple as that.
“Marvin.” My mom stuck out her hands with a joyful smile on her face, “Could you please do you’re annoying mother a favor and take some pictures with Karina and Santi?”
I slightly rolled my eyes before I chuckled at the sight of Santiago, who had his arm wrapped around Karina’s waist. They were both staring at me with puppy eyes, almost forcing me to join them. “Of course, I will.” I gave in.
I grabbed my mom’s hand as she led me towards my siblings and took the opportunity to get a better look at Tiago. For some reason, he seemed a whole lot more mature. At first, I was shocked to find out that my younger brother was getting married as I didn’t even know he had it in him to get down on one knee, but
it worked out perfectly fine.
“You look like…you’re getting married.” I complimented him. Tiago grew a child-like smile on his face and pulled me into a tight hug. He hadn’t been this good to me since I came out of prison.
“Our baby brother looks good, doesn’t he?” Karina slurred her words. I smiled as I patted her back and brought my mouth closer to her car. “Behave and think about your son. You don’t want Cisco to see you like this.”
Everyone, especially the family, was looking forward to seeing little Santiago getting married, and it was a big deal to everyone.
“Where’s dad?” Tiago whispered through the smile on his face. Even until now, he was still seeking Mario Castillo’s acknowledgment. The man who didn’t give a crap about anyone other than himself or the family name. Everyone had gathered, except for my dad and Victor-who was out doing god knows what.
“It’s not about dad. It’s about you.”
Those words were enough to keep him calm for now. Besides my mom, I was the only person to tell him those encouraging words. Tiago’s friends didn’t know about what he went through, and as far as they were concerned, the Castillo’s were a family who owned a fine spirit brand and once in a while got ‘falsely’ accused of their cartel ties.
They didn’t know about the difficulties, the pressure, or the struggles we had to face, and it wasn’t as if Tiago was allowed to talk to them about it either.
All I knew was one thing, and that was that I would not let Mario Castillo ruin Tiago’s day. If Tiago wanted that monster at his side, then I would make sure of it.
“I’ll be back soon.” I excused myself before walking out of the room. I made my way outside and walked around the building in the hopes of finding my dad, but all I could see Panther, who was discussing something with some of the men.
Everything about him was chaotic, but that was what he was known for. Panther was someone who didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. He was an outgoing person who had a lot of stories to share.
The side of my lips curled at his exaggerated hand movements, and I was just about to walk over before I got stopped by a firm hand on my shoulder.
If there was something I disliked, it had to be people throwing me off guard. I reacted to my natural instinct and turned around to grab my attacker by its throat.
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